Pickup truck camper device

ABSTRACT

This invention comprises a camper and pickup truck device which has a compartment passageway structure mounted to the rear of the pickup truck. The passageway structure is slidably adapted to fit into an opening in different size pickup truck cabs. The outer edge of the compartment passageway structure abutts the front wall of the camper. The front wall of the camper has a passageway therethrough. A pair of doors are pivotally mounted to the inner edge of the front wall of the passageway structure and are adapted to pivot forward into the cab to open the passageway between the camper and the cab of the pickup truck.

United States Patent 91 Hathaway, Jr.

[111 3,729,224 45 Apr. 24, 1973 [54] PICKUP TRUCK CAMPER DEVICE [76]Inventor: Milton R. Hathaway, Jr., 30 Parlee Road, Chelmsford, Mass.01824 [22] i Filed: Sept. 21,1971

[2|] Appl. No.: 182,429

[56] References Cited UN lTED STATES PATENTS 6/1967 Girski ..296/23 RPrimary Examiner-Philip Goodman Att0rneyRobert E. Kleve I 57] ABSTRACTThis invention comprises a camper and pickup truck device which has acompartment passageway structure mounted to the rear of the pickuptruck. The passageway structure is slidably adapted to fit into anopening in different size pickup truck cabs. The outer edge of thecompartment passageway structure abutts the front wall of the camper.The front wall of the camper has a passageway therethrough. A pair ofdoors are pivotally mounted to the inner edge of the front-wall of thepassageway structure and are adapted to pivot forward into the cab toopen the passageway between the camper and the cab of the pickup truck.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures Patented April 24, 1973 Fl G .3.

INVENTOR MILTON R. HATHAWAY, JR.

BY K

ATTORNEY PICKUP TRUCK CAMPER DEVICE The invention relates to devices.

This invention is also related to my co-pending patent application Ser.No. 53,971, filed July 10, 1970, entitled Pickup Truck and TrailerPassageway Device.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel pickup truck camperdevice wherein the cab of the pickup truck has an opening with acompartment passageway structure slid therein and permanently attachedto the cab with the compartment passageway structure abutting the frontwall of the camper and providing communication therethrough.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a compartmentpassageway structure which may be permanently attached to variousdifferent cabs of pickup trucks and which has a door therein, with thedoor opening and aligning with an opening in the camper to provide awalkway communication therethrough.

It is another object of the invention to provide a compartmentpassageway structure which ,is permanently attached to the cab of thepickup truck and has a door opening therein and which structure remainsattached to the cab, and when the camper is removed, a door is providedto close the passageway opening in the passageway structure.

Further objects and advantages of theinvention will become apparent asthe description proceeds and when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the pickup truck and camperinvention.

F IG. 2 is a perspective view of the pickup truck and camper inventionillustrating the compartment passageway structure permanently attachedto the cab of the pickup truck, with a fragmentary showing of the camperdetached from the truck.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the pickup truck and camper invention.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a camper and pickup truckinvention having a compartment passageway structure permanently mountedto the rear of the cab of the pickup truck which compartment passagewaystructure is adjusted so that its outer edge abutts the front wall ofthe camper. The said camper has an opening in its front wall and saidcompartment passageway structure has a door which aligns with the camperopening to provide a walkway communication therethrough. The door alsoserves to close the passageway structure opening when the camper ispickup truck and camper detached from the pickup truck.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in FIG. 1, the camper andpickup truck invention 20 is illustrated having a conventional pickuptruck 21 and a conventional camper 22, with the campartment passagewaystructure 23 between the cab 24 of the truck and the camper permanentlymounted to the cab 24 of the truck.

The cab 24 has a cut out 25 in the top 26 and back of the cab. The cutout 25 extends along an edge indicated by line 25' across the top 26 ofthe cab 24 of the truck, and along parallel edges indicated by lines 25"and 25" rearwardly from the lateral line 25 along the top of the cab anddownward along the back 27 of the cab to the bottom 24' of the cab.

The compartment passageway structure 23 has a rectangular top panel 28,a front flange 29, and a pair of side flanges 30 and 31. The frontflange 23 and side flanges 30 and 31 extend downward into the cabthrough the opening 25. The rearward portion 32 of the side flanges 30and 31 extend forward into the cab, through the opening 25 in the rearwall 27 of the cab. The compartment passageway structure 23 also has aback wall 33 with a doorway in the back wall, and with a pair of doors34 and 35 pivotally mounted, in the doorway, to the back wall 33 byhinges 36. The doors 34 and 35 pivot about the vertical axes of thehinges to enable the doors 34 and 35 to open and close the doorway,along the path of the arrows 37 and 38.

The inner edges 29, 30, and 31' of the compartment passageway structureproject a short distance in the interior of the cab 24.

The camper 22 has a rectangular doorway 39 along its front wall 40 whichaligns with the compartment passageway doors 34 and 35, with the rearwall 33 of the compartment passageway structure 23 flush with the frontwall 40 of the camper when the camper is attached, so that persons maywalk between the camper and cab of the truck by walking through thepassageway or doorway 39 and through the doorway in the front wall 40 ofthe camper by opening the doors 34 and 35.

The compartment passageway structure 23 is adapted to be mounted to cabsof pickup trucks wherein the cabs have somewhat different sizes andconfigurations and also is adapted to abut or engage campers, whereinthe campers may have somewhat different dimensions, with the passagewaystructure fitting flush against the front wall 40 of the camper andflush against the top under panel 41 of the camper.

The camper, pickup truck, and compartment passageway structure areassembled by first placing the passageway structure 23 loose in theopening 25 of the cab of the truck. Thereafter the camper 22 isinstalled in its intended location on the box of the truck, once thecamper has been positioned exactally, the passageway structure 23 willbe slid along or in the opening 25 until the top wall 28 and rear wall33 of the passageway structure are flush with and abut the top wall 41and rear wa1l40 of the camper.

The inner edges 29, 30, and 31' of the compartment passageway structureproject a short distance into the interior of the cab to providesufficient length or depth to the flanges 29, 30, and 31 so that thecompartment passageway structure may be slid a certain amount in or outof the opening 21 in the cab to adjust the passageway structure 23 tofit against the camper, and while the flanges 29, 30, and 31 remainengaged to the side edges 25, 25", and 25" of the cab, so that theflanges 29, 30, and 31 may be welded to edges 25', 25", and 25 of thecab to seal the flanges to the cab of the truck, once the passagewaystructure has been adjusted.

The doors 34 and 35, by being mounted to the rear wall of the passagewaystructure may pivot into the space between the cab and camper so as topivot behind the seats 42 and 43 without interfering with the seats orother structure of the cab.

The doors 34 and 35 also may have suitable latching means so that theymay be locked together as shown in F lG. 2, to remain closed when thecamper is detached from the truck, and the truck is being used withoutthe camper. Also when camper 22 is detached from the pickup truck 21,the compartment passageway structure 23 will remain permanently attachedto the cab 24 of the truck.

Also the top panel 28 of the passageway structure may have a panel 44which is pivotally mounted therein to pivot about a pair of hinges 45 toopen the compartment passageway structure along its top for more headroom when the camper is attached. After the doors 34 and 35 have. beenpivoted open to their position shown in F l0. 3, the panel 44 may bepivoted downward about its hinges 45, from its position shown in FIG. 2for opening the panel 44. The panel 44 may be pivoted open approximately180, and it may be locked in its fully closed position or in its fullyopen position by suitable latching means.

The horizontal under panel 41 of the camper may also be cut out toenlarge the passageway in the camper forwardly to provide more headroom, with the cut out in the horizontal panel 41 aligning with theoutline of the top panel 44.

Thus it will be seen that a novel camper and pickup truck device hasbeen provided with a compartment passageway structure which may beeasily installed and adjusted to cabs of pickup trucks and to the campermounted to the truck, wherein the cabs have somewhat different sizes andshapes and the camper mounted therein has somewhat different dimensions.

It will be obvious that various changes and departures may be made tothe invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and accordinglyit is not intended that the invention be limited to that specificallydescribed in the specification or as illustrated in the drawing but onlyas set forth in the appended Claims wherein:

What is claimed is:

l. A camper and pickup truck device comprising a camper, a pickup truck,a compartment passageway structure said pickup truck having a cab withan opening in the top and back of the cab, said compartment passagewaystructure having a top wall and front and side walls projecting intosaid opening in the cab, whereby said camper may be attached to saidpickup truck, and said compartment passageway structure may be slidablyadjusted to abut the camper along its forward wall portions, and onceadjusted, said passageway structure may be permanently fixed to said cabof said truck, said compartment passageway structure having a doorwayalong its rear wall, said camper having a doorway along its forward wallportions which align with the passageway structure doorway.

2. A camper and pickup truck device according to claim 1 wherein saidpassageway structure has a pair of pivotally mounted doors mounted insaid doorway in said rear wall of said passageway structure, said doorbeing adapted to pivot about vertical axis forward toward the front ofthe truck for opening the passageway structure doorway.

1. A camper and pickup truck device comprising a camper, a pickup truck,a compartment passageway structure said pickup truck having a cab withan opening in the top and back of the cab, said compartment passagewaystructure having a top wall and front and side walls projecting intosaid opening in the cab, whereby said camper may be attached to saidpickup truck, and said compartment passageway structure may be slidablyadjusted to abut the camper along its forward wall portions, and onceadjusted, said passageway structure may be permanently fixed to said cabof said truck, said compartment passageway structure having a doorwayalong its rear wall, said camper having a doorway along its forward wallportions which align with the passageway structure doorway.
 2. A camperand pickup truck device according to claim 1 wherein said passagewaystructure has a pair of pivotally mounted doors mounted in said doorwayin said rear wall of said passageway structure, said door being adaptedto pivot about vertical axis forward toward the front of the truck foropening the passageway structure doorway.